Proof of life

On March 1, Tahir Qahiri was ecstatic upon receiving a ‘proof of life’ call from his father. The pair had been out of contact for 17 months. Tahir had only learned in January that his father, Mutallip, a renowned retired Uyghur scholar, was awaiting trial in Xinjiang—accused of separatism by the Chinese regime. In the WeChat call, Tahir was told to undo all his advocacy work or be disowned as a son.